Card shuffler



Feb. 23, 1932. P. E: MATTHAEY 1,846,063

CARD SHUFFLER Filed May 6, 1929 llB . INVENTOR H 26 1 51115. Matt/1a 24 EM W W ATTORNEY till Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES IA'UL E. MATTHAEY, OF SUFFERN, NEW YORK CARD SHUFFLEB Application filed May 6, 1929. Serial No. 860,627.

This invention relates to methods and means for mixing up or shuttling fiat objects and more especially to a device for shuttling playing car s.

An object of the invention is to provide a device which is compact in size, artistic in appearance, simple in operation, inexpensive to make, and which will quickly shuiile a pack of cards.

Another object is to provide such a device adapted to be operated either by hand, or by some power source on the movement of a lever or switch, as by the use of a spring motor or an electric motor.

All these and other objects as suggested below are attained by the method and means new to be described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete card shuffling device equipped with a turning crank and adapted to completely shue a pack of bridge cards, for instance, in about three seconds.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through a vertical longitudinal plane, of the device of Fig. 1, taken from the opposite or concealed side, and showing in dotted lines one means of operating the device by power.

And Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view taken through the plane 33 of Fig. 2.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

llhe invention, in the modification disclosed, consists of a base made for instance of wood, and having its lower surface preferably covered with felt or other noninarring material (not shown) and a casing 11 shaped somewhat as illustrated and pivoted to the base 10 at pivot points 12, Fig. 1. A top 13 is hinged at 14 to the casing 11, and is equipped with a handle 15 with which to open it. The forward top portion of casing 11, designated by 11A, slants downwardly away from the pivoted end of the casing and in such manner as to deflect the ends of the cards down on to base 10 when the device is operated, in manner as more fully described hereafter.

The front side portions of casing 11, designated by 118, are slanted inwardly in manner and degree about as shown, to deflect in-. wardly the outward and forward edges of each of the two cards which are fed and shuffled simultaneously, as explained below.

Finger holes 16 are provided in the base 10to permit the fingers of the user to grasp the shuflied cards overlying them from all sides and permit of their ready removal.

Secured to the forward or bearing edge of top 13 is a weight 17, Fig. 2, extending across the full width of the top, which width is somewhat greater than twice the width of a 'full-sized playing card and so is adapted to hold two packs of cards side by side beneath it. A stop 18 extends outwardly from hinge 66 14 and is so arranged as to limit the movement of top 13 as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2.

The cards are cut into two packs of about the same height and placed on a shelf 19, Fig. 2, beneath the top 13. A vertical gate 30 20 is positioned in front of the forward edges of the cards, its lower edge being ad- ]ustable to permit one card to be ejected at a time (i. e., two cards side by side) and regardless of their thickness.

Rotatably mounted in the side walls of casing 11 is ashaft 21 adapted to rotate and mount two friction roller units 22 and 23, these rollers being preferably of soft rubber with a serrated surface somewhat irre ular in contour in order to break up the uni ormity of shuffling, the upper surface of the rollers being slightly above the upper surface of shelf 10 and below the lower edge of gate 20 and adapted to engage the lower-most card 55 of the pack immediately above.

These rollers 22-23 are made to rotate together and to discharge the cards simultaneously by means of a crank 24 mounted to .rotate as shown and connected to the roller shaft 21 by means of change speed spur gears 25 and 26.

Casing 11 is pivotally mounted at one end of base 10 and so is adapted to be raised to permit the users hand to grasp the cards after they have been shuffled and deposited over the finger cut-outs 16; and asuitable arrangement such as that shown at 27, Fig. 2, is provided to limit the backward movement of this casing 11.

ivotin P g mo The weight 17 Fig. 2, bears upon the cards 28 onshelf 19 somewhat forwardly of the point of contact between the upper surface of roller 23 and the lowermost card of the pack, this being important in preventing the cards from buckling and aiding in their being fed from the device.

In place of the crank 24 there may be mounted in the casing 11, in a position somewhat. as shown diagrammatically at 29, a spring motor, an electric motor, or other power source suitably geared as suggested in Fig. 3 to the rollers 2223 to rotate them. A convenient button switch may be arranged on the outside of the device to operate this power source, to automatically shufiie and feed the cards, in lieu of turning the crank, which operation however requires but three seconds. Also, there may be arranged on the devicean automatic stop adapted to disconnect either the power unit or the power supply when the last card has been shufiled and fed from the device. This feature of making it entirely automatic would serve as anovelty for the user.

The operation of the device is very simple. The cards are cut into two essentially equal piles and the weight 17 bears down on the topmost card of whichever pile is thicker, pressing the lowermost. card of that pile on to the roller beneath it to be fed from the machine or in the direction of the arrows. When the packs are of equal height, a card is then fed simultaneously from each pack. The slanted surface of member 11 A of the casing forces each card downwardlyas the roller feeds it out and at the same time the slanted surface of one of the side members 11 B gently urges the card laterally towards its companion card and in this manner most effectively shufiies them together. The rollers are made purposely irregular so that the shufliing may not be absolutely uniform. This is to prevent improper use of the machine by any dishonest card player. It has been found that tapering the sides 11 B an amount appreciably different from that shown in the drawings will not give satisfactory results. The gate 20 prevents more than one card being fed beneath it at a time. The side plates 11 B shufile the cards by bringing their forward corners together, one beneath the other, the flexibility of the cards, when gently urged in this manner, accomplishing this. And the weight 17, being forwardly of the point of contact between roller and cards, takes care of any unevenness in thickness or warping of the cards, by pulling them from the device instead of pushing them. These are all important features and make for the success of this most simple invention, and which has involved a great deal of experimentation to perfect.

It is to be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only,

and that the invention is not limited thereto. To those skilled in the art, many modifications of the invention will be readily apparent, and it will also be obvious to such skilled persons that parts of the device and method may be used without other parts thereof, many such combinations readily suggesting themselves. Therefore, it should be, and is to be distinctly understood that for a definition of the limitations of the invention, reference must be had to the appended claims.

Having now described the invention what is claimed as new and for which Letters Patent of the United States is desired; is:

1. A card shufiiing device including rotatable means adapted to feed a pair of cards laid side by side, and deflecting means adapted to bring the forward corner of one card beneath the adjacent forward corner of the other.

2. The combination in a card shuffling device of means for holding two packs of cards side by side in an elevated position, means for feeding the cards in the same direction, means for deflecting them downwardly, and means for bringing adjacent cards from each pack beneath one another to shufile them.

3. A card shuffling device comprising holding means for a plurality of card packs placed side by side, feeding means for feeding the lowermost card from beneath each pack and in the same direction and means for deflecting the cards to bring them one beneath the other.

4. The combination ina card shufiiin device of a friction roller ada ted to ear against the lowermost card 0 a pack and feed it therefrom, and a weight member bearing upon the uppermost card at a point in advance of the point of contact between the lowermost card and the rolling member.

5. A card shuffler comprising a base, a holding member above the base for holding the cards, a rotatable friction member engaging the forward surface of the lowermost card to feed it from beneath the pack, a downwardly beveled member adapted to deflect the card downwardly on to the base, and similar feeding and deflecting means for similarly operating upon an adjacently positioned card, together with inwardly beveled means beneath the downwardly beveled surface and adapted to enga e the edges of the cards and force them toget ier one beneath the other to shuffle them.

Si ned at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 22nd day of April 1929.

PAUL E. MAT'IHAEY. 

